Homebrew:Aetherborn: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 00:20, 8 December 2022

(OOC: This is an implementation of the aetherborn race from Plane Shift: Kaladesh)

When the events of a lifetime are compressed down to almost nothing, each fleeting moment must be savored—drained of every drop of enjoyment it can offer. This is the philosophy that informs the lives and minds of the aetherborn. Given just a few short years—or sometimes only a few months—to live, each aetherborn views time as exceedingly precious. Each moment spent in a way that does not bring delight is a wasted moment. And though aetherborn differ in their drives and pleasures, nearly all of them share this desire to squeeze the most out of the brief time they are given.

Aetherborn come into being spontaneously as part of the aether refinement process. Their bodies and minds are apparently formed out of some interaction between the volatile elements of aether that are removed during refinement and the psychic impressions created by the people involved in the process. But each aetherborn is a unique individual, not a mere copy of some other person’s mind and shape. This race is little understood, and few aetherborn are willing to waste any of their short lives allowing vedalken scholars to study their biological and psychological characteristics.

Aetherborn and Gender

Aetherborn are a strange living by-product of the process of aether refinement, cast in humanoid form but lacking any of the biological qualities of other races. They don’t eat or sleep, and they don’t reproduce—nor do they have any physical sexual characteristics. Language that categorizes people into male or female categories thus breaks down when it comes to aetherborn. Most aetherborn prefer that others use the pronoun “they” to refer to them, since it doesn’t attribute a gender that they don’t possess. Only a relative few prefer “he” or “she,” having chosen to adopt a gender.

Aetherborn Politics

The relationship between aetherborn and the Consulate is complicated. On the one hand, aetherborn understand that their race wouldn’t exist without the Consulate’s aether refining operations, so they feel at least some motivation to ensure that those operations continue to run smoothly. On the other hand, few aetherborn have any patience for the tedious and cumbersome politics and regulations of the Consulate, which gives them at least a little sympathy with renegade philosophy. Typically, aetherborn are drawn to one side or the other more by the lure of excitement and entertainment than by any serious political beliefs.

Aetherborn Traits

Your aetherborn character has certain traits deriving from your unusual nature.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2, and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1.

Age

Aetherborn come into being as adults and live no more than a few years.

Alignment

As a rule, aetherborn are driven by hedonism and self-interest, making them neutral at best and thoroughly evil at worst. Neutral aetherborn might devote much of their time (and wealth) to parties and social activity, while evil aetherborn are usually involved in the criminal underworld.

Size

Aetherborn are about the same size as humans, ranging from 5 to 6 feet tall. They are quite light—only about 100 pounds—and their weight diminishes as they age and more and more of their substance returns to the aethersphere. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Accustomed to the night, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Born of Aether

You have resistance to necrotic damage.

Menacing

You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and two other languages of your choice.

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-[[file:merfolk.jpg|right|thumb|500px]]
+[[file:aetherborn.jpg|right|thumb|500px]]
-{{ooc note|This is an implementation of the merfolk race from Planeshift: Zendikar}}
+{{ooc note|This is an implementation of the aetherborn race from [[Plane Shift: Kaladesh]]}}
 __NOTOC__
-Curious, thoughtful, and analytical, the merfolk of Zendikar are natural scholars and explorers. In the past, merfolk society was organized around their belief in three deities. But in the wake of the reappearance of the Eldrazi, the merfolk have realized that their faith was a web of lies, built on a corrupted memory of the Eldrazi titans handed down from generation to generation. In peaceful times, the merfolk might have fought over the ultimate meaning of this revelation. But faced with the danger presented by the Eldrazi broods, the merfolk have largely set aside their differences and joined together in a united force. Old grudges still linger, but the well-being of the merfolk race—and the world—far outweigh any ancient conflicts between creeds. Merfolk are associated with blue mana, though the traditional merfolk creeds express this connection in different ways.
+When the events of a lifetime are compressed down to almost nothing, each fleeting moment must be savored—drained of every drop of enjoyment it can offer. This is the philosophy that informs the lives and minds of the aetherborn. Given just a few short years—or sometimes only a few months—to live, each aetherborn views time as exceedingly precious. Each moment spent in a way that does not bring delight is a wasted moment. And though aetherborn differ in their drives and pleasures, nearly all of them share this desire to squeeze the most out of the brief time they are given.
-== Born of the Sea ==
+Aetherborn come into being spontaneously as part of the aether refinement process. Their bodies and minds are apparently formed out of some interaction between the volatile elements of aether that are removed during refinement and the psychic impressions created by the people involved in the process. But each aetherborn is a unique individual, not a mere copy of some other person’s mind and shape. This race is little understood, and few aetherborn are willing to waste any of their short lives allowing vedalken scholars to study their biological and psychological characteristics.
-Merfolk are an amphibious race, born and at home in the water but comfortable on dry land. Humanoid in form, they have skin of ivory, silver, russet, blue, or deep purple. Long fins extend from the backs of their forearms and calves, and their fingers and toes are webbed. The hairlike growths on their heads are either thick and bristly like the needles of a sea urchin, or long and wavy, resembling fine seaweed. In either case, these growths typically range in color from red to warm brown to black. Male merfolk have similar growths extending down from their cheekbones.
-Merfolk wear little clothing unless they are armored for battle. Even then, they drape themselves with nets and a minimum of cloth, wearing armor crafted of large, bleached seashells and augmented with leather.
+== Aetherborn and Gender ==
+Aetherborn are a strange living by-product of the process of aether refinement, cast in humanoid form but lacking any of the biological qualities of other races. They don’t eat or sleep, and they don’t reproduce—nor do they have any physical sexual characteristics. Language that categorizes people into male or female categories thus breaks down when it comes to aetherborn. Most aetherborn prefer that others use the pronoun “they” to refer to them, since it doesn’t attribute a gender that they don’t possess. Only a relative few prefer “he” or “she,” having chosen to adopt a gender.
-== Merfolk Traits ==
-Your merfolk character has a number of traits in common with other members of this race.
+== Aetherborn Politics ==
+The relationship between aetherborn and the Consulate is complicated. On the one hand, aetherborn understand that their race wouldn’t exist without the Consulate’s aether refining operations, so they feel at least some motivation to ensure that those operations continue to run smoothly. On the other hand, few aetherborn have any patience for the tedious and cumbersome politics and regulations of the Consulate, which gives them at least a little sympathy with renegade philosophy. Typically, aetherborn are drawn to one side or the other more by the lure of excitement and entertainment than by any serious political beliefs.
+== Aetherborn Traits ==
+Your aetherborn character has certain traits deriving from your unusual nature.
 === Ability Score Increase ===
-Your Charisma score increases by 1.
+Your Charisma score increases by 2, and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1.
 === Age ===
-Merfolk mature at the same rate humans do and reach adulthood around the age of 20. They live considerably longer than humans, though, often reaching well over 100 years.
+Aetherborn come into being as adults and live no more than a few years.
 === Alignment ===
-Most merfolk are neutral, though merfolk of the Emeria and Cosi creeds have chaotic leanings.
+As a rule, aetherborn are driven by hedonism and self-interest, making them neutral at best and thoroughly evil at worst. Neutral aetherborn might devote much of their time (and wealth) to parties and social activity, while evil aetherborn are usually involved in the criminal underworld.
 === Size ===
-Merfolk are about the same size and build as humans. Your size is Medium.
+Aetherborn are about the same size as humans, ranging from 5 to 6 feet tall. They are quite light—only about 100 pounds—and their weight diminishes as they age and more and more of their substance returns to the aethersphere. Your size is Medium.
 === Speed ===
-Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You also have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
+Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
-=== Amphibious ===
+=== Darkvision ===
-You can breathe air and water.
+Accustomed to the night, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
-=== Languages ===
+=== Born of Aether ===
-You can speak, read, and write Common, Merfolk, and one extra language of your choice.
+You have resistance to necrotic damage.
-''(Note: the merfolk language must be added to your character sheet manually.)''
+=== Menacing ===
+You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
-=== Creeds ===
+=== Languages ===
-The merfolk race is divided into three creeds, founded on the principles of Emeria (wind), Ula (water), and Cosi (the trickster). A merfolk isn’t born into a creed but chooses it upon reaching adulthood, and it is rare for a merfolk not to choose a creed. Merfolk of the wind and water creeds aren’t hostile to each other, but members of each creed regard the other creed with a vague disdain. Members of both those creeds regard the Cosi creed with suspicion and some degree of fear, and Cosi-creed adherents tend to keep their affiliation secret. Choose one of these creeds for your character.
+You can speak, read, and write Common and two other languages of your choice.
-==== Emeria (Wind) Creed ====
-Merfolk who followed Emeria’s creed seek wisdom and truth in the Wind Realm, exploring the mystical forces—rather than natural causes—behind historical events. They are evasive and intentionally enigmatic in their interactions with others, and are often described as manipulative and deceptive.
-;Ability Score Increase. : Your Wisdom score increases by 2.
-;Wind Creed Manipulation. : You have proficiency in the Deception and Persuasion skills.
-;Cantrip. : You know one cantrip of your choice from the druid spell list. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for it.
-==== Ula (Water) Creed ====
-Ula-creed merfolk emphasize intellectual pursuits, stressing hard evidence and reason over passion. They are analytical scholars, chroniclers, explorers, and navigators who pride themselves on being blunt and straightforward.
-;Ability Score Increase. : Your Intelligence score increases by 2.
-;Water Creed Navigation. : You have proficiency with navigator’s tools and in the Survival skill.
-;Cantrip. : You know one cantrip of your choice from the wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.
 [[category:homebrew 5e races]]